Firstly, you have to brush up on your skillset before you start freelancing. After then, you can build your freelance account on a few reliable freelance marketplaces. The starting stage of your career is very important. Because in this stage people start to make a perception about you and your brand image. So if you do not have the proper skills to understand & complete a few jobs, then you may receive negative feedback. And once you received negative feedback at the early stage of your freelancing career, then most of the buyers will just ignore you. Because they will not have the option to make a comparison of your service quality.
Don’t get me wrong, I do not suggest you to ask your friends & family to buy from you and make some positive feedback. Firstly, it’s not fair. And finally, the marketplace algorithm is not dumb enough to understand those red-tricks.
Choose a field for work
There are lots of fields you can start working in. Web development, graphic design, writing, videography, voice-over, etc. However, make sure you choose the right field which you really love to work. Do not choose a field just for the sake of income. Keep in mind, if you are experienced enough, the money will wait for you. So, it’s worth putting your highest effort into gaining skills.
Once you find your beloved area of work, narrow it down further and start learning from the very basic. For example- you like to work in the field of Web Development. Then start learning from HTML, CSS, JavaScript. And then learn few frameworks & libraries such as Bootstrap, Zurb Foundation, React, Node. Also you can learn CMS like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc. The learning curve never ends.
Find a freelance marketplace
There are many of them actually. But you need only one or two maximum. There are two types of freelance marketplaces: Niche & General. The niche platforms are only allowed for a specific type of work. For example- iWriter, text broker, Freelance Writing are only for writers.
On the other hand, general marketplaces are allowed for most types of freelancers. For example- Fiverr, Upwork, Toptal, etc.
Learn from the authentic source
There are many ways you can learn from & brush up on your skills. Instead of your local training institutes, try some online learning platforms. For example- Udemy, Lynda, Treehouse, etc are great online learning platforms. Not to mention, all the courses are not great on each platform. Your job is the search and find the best courses for you. If you discovered that you don’t like a certain course, do not be frustrated. Because it’s also the part of your learning curve.
On the other hand, online written documentation can be very helpful. And you can take it as your reference. I would suggest you to read the documentation and about the history of a certain thing before you start video courses. It will help you to understand the video courses more precisely.
Depending on topics, the learning path & platforms may vary. But everyone should start from the very basic first. This will help anyone to understand complex matters in the long run. To clarify, we should focus on “Why something is happening” instead of “How to do something”. For example- a programmer should learn to know why JavaScript behaves like this, instead of learning how to use jQuery.
Know your platform and learn about dos and don’ts
Every freelancer should know about the freelancing platform he/she is going to work on. Especially the Terms of Service is very important for everyone. It will help you to understand the dos and don’ts precisely. Lack of sufficient knowledge many freelancers are doing mistakes that are against the platform ToS. And those mistakes may cause issues and even it may put your account at risk. So, it’s always better to know your platform, the environment, dos and don’ts.
Build your reputation
Up until this point, you have chosen your beloved area of working, you gathered skills, created account on your desired freelance marketplace and you already learned about the dos & don’ts. Now it’s time to build your reputation which will lead you getting sales.
Landing your first few jobs may take some time, but once you started rolling in and got some 90%+ positive feedback, it will help you to change the game & dominate the sales. Make sure you understand your client’s need before starting work. This will also help you to get recurring jobs from the same clients.
Do not ask for reviews or feedback though it’s very important for your freelance career. Because the review is only important for you and not for the clients. So don’t bother your clients by asking for reviews. Just be patient and stay professional. This type of attitude will help you to build your reputation in the long run. On the other hand, the freelancing marketplace asks your client to leave feedback for you, and your clients generally get an email notification about it. So there is no reason for reinventing the wheel.
There are skill-based forums and other online communities. Go ahead and join those movements. Helping other people in the community could be the best approach to build your reputation. Make sure that your information is correct and your sounds do not look spammy. Helping other people also helps you to learn more in-depth. If you can not help, just keep your eyes on people’s problems and build your ability to find the proper solutions online.
However, building a reputation takes time, actually a long period of time. Keep in mind, if anyone has built a reputation overnight, that kind of reputation will be gone another night. So be patient and work hard.
Keep your eyes on competitors
Competitors are always helpful. Because they give you clues to improve your career. So consider them as your marketing fuel and do not be jealous of their achievements.
There are two types of freelancers. The first type copies their competitors and the second type of freelancer makes huge improvements than the competitors. Make sure you’re on the right track.
The system may not work for you which already has worked for someone else. So you have to keep trying and make improvements. Don’t feel shy to look around you and to seek new opportunities to improve your career. Just make sure you don’t copy anyone, and you & your content is unique.
Make your study a habit
Everyday learn at least one small thing and expend at least two hours for study. By doing this study, you will feel confident at a certain period and enjoy learning. It’s very hard to study on a regular basis while you are very busy at work. So make sure you used your full opportunity to learn at the early stage of your freelance career.
Stay motivated
Human life is full of competition. Likewise, you may not get everything as expected. So motivation comes into play.
If you feel disappointed or frustrated at any point in your freelance career, I would advise stop right there and take a break from your work & study. At least for two days & up to one-week maximum. And do whatever makes you smile. And watch/read inspirational documents, stories, publications before you go to bed.
Your freelance life is full of your brain work ultimately. So it’s very important to keep your brain calm & healthy.
Create your portfolio
Buyers generally ask for past work samples or portfolio pieces if you do not have any. So it would be helpful for you to land jobs if you create some. It also doesn’t mean that you have to create those samples just to show your buyer. Instead, create those sample-works to enjoy & test your skill.
Apply for jobs
Most of the freelance marketplaces have the option to apply for jobs or sending proposals to your buyers. Don’t miss this opportunity. I wrote another article about how to write a winning proposal. Though it has been written very specific to Fiverr, but most of it will work for other marketplaces as well. So feel free to check it after.
Brush up your English
You may know English very well. But western clients do not speak/write the way you do. This statement is not true for all. However, if English is not your first language then it’s worth expending time on it. There are many platforms for learning English and other languages. If you ask me for a specific platform, especially for freelancers, I would refer you to italki. But if you’re not able to effort on learning English right now, then I would suggest you to speak with your friends. If you’re nervous to speak with your friends, then imagine a client is calling you from the west. Switch off the room-light & pick up the mobile. Don’t forget to ask the necessary questions to your buyer over the phone.
Utilize your finicky friend
Every human being has a finicky friend. But if you don’t have one, then you just haven’t realized him/her yet. Likewise, I have one. And I always get back to him for advice. He just doesn’t know my intention. However, at a certain period of our discussion, I just show him what I have created. And boom! He finds a lot of faults in my creation.
To clarify, in his eyes, nothing is fine which I have created so far. At least I find some clues where I can make improvements. Not to mention, my finicky friend is my greatest advisor someway, but he just doesn’t know. To sum up, you can utilize your finicky friend to bring your freelance career to the next level. Those are very handy advisors if you can handle them 🙂
